Liaison & Diversion Practitioner | East NHS Foundation Trust

This is a great opportunity for healthcare professionals with interest and experience of assessment and risk management to join ELFT in a collaborative partnership with other NHS and 3rdsector providers across London delivering the Liaison & Diversion service for East London.

The successful candidate will join the established all-age/all-vulnerability L&D service partnership within the North London Forensic Collaborative, to ensure that individuals presenting with mental health problems or other health and social vulnerabilities are supported through the justice pathway and can be diverted into the healthcare pathway when this is necessary.

There is currently one F/T vacancy available, working in rotation across 5 custody sites based in City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest.

This is a 365 day service and some weekend an public holiday cover is a requirement.

You will work within the wider East London L&D Service, including our practitioners based within police custody, courts and the community link.

Suitable candidates must hold current professional registration within the field of mental healthcare. If you are a mental health or learning disability nurse, a social worker, speech language therapist or OT with established experience in crisis work and clinical management of acute risk, looking for variety and autonomy within a fast-paced setting, this role could be what you are looking for!

• To act as an autonomous practitioner in the context of the alleged offence and the criminal justice system, implementing a care plan and follow-up for each individual.
• Have the ability to undertake a full mental state and risk assessment, gathering a background history and collateral information for individuals with a range of needs. These would include those with a serious mental illness or personality disorder, plus associated neuro divergence, learning, social, personal, dependency and drug use issues who are in police custody.
• To prepare accurate written reports following assessment in line with quality standards.
• To make clinical judgements in custody on situations as they arise, or change.
• The ability to enhance and strengthen relationships within Criminal Justice Services and the links between Health and Social Services and the Criminal Justice System itself is an essential role of the post holder.
• You will work in a collaborative way with our justice partners, local community Mental Health Services, and other statutory/non-statutory agencies to ensure a high quality liaison and diversion service is provided to individuals.
• Engage with monthly clinical/managerial supervision, data collection, QI projects and reflective practice.

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are:
We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Be able to assess an individual’s mental state and risk, and within the context of the alleged offence and the criminal justice system implement a care pathway for each service user.

Proactively screen and receive reports from custody suites, responding in a timely manner to prioritise assessment of detained people deemed to have health or social vulnerabilities.

Possess the appropriate knowledge regarding legal issues, court procedures and the role of other professions.

Provide specialist advice and liaison to all colleagues encountered within health settings, social services and professions within the criminal justice system.

Conduct thorough mental state and risk assessments and the collection of background history for individuals presenting with a wide variety of needs. These may include those with a serious mental illness or personality disorder, plus associated learning, social, personal, dependency and substance misuse issues.

Prepare accurate written reports following assessment, in line with agreed quality standards.

Make safe clinical judgements in court on situations as…